| The Great Depression (1928-1936) |
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Sections:- Herbert Hoover: Rugged Individualism Speech (1928)
- The Davis-Bacon Act
- Hoover's Response to the "New Deal"
- Franklin D. Roosevelt: First Inaugural Address (1933)
- President Franklin Roosevelt: First Fireside Chat on the Banking Crisis (1933)
- John Maynard Keynes: An Open Letter to President Roosevelt (1933)
- Huey Long: Share the Wealth Speech in the Senate (1934)
- The Walsh-Healey Act
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| Historical Context
This speech was delivered in New York City by Republican presidential candidate Herbert Hoover on October 22, 1928, toward the close of the election campaign. In this classic example of American conservative philosophy, Hoover condemned the Democratic platform as a misguided attempt to solve the problems of prohibition, farm relief, and electrical power through state socialism; he extolled free, private enterprise and initiative, a system of "rugged individualism," as the foundations of America's "unparalleled greatness." Government entry into commercial business, he argued, would destroy political equality, increase corruption, stifle initiative, undermine the development of leadership, extinguish opportunity, and "dry up the spirit of liberty and progress."
Attached Document
Included here is the text of Hoover's speech.
Questions to consider
1. Why was Hoover so adamantly opposed to government involvement in commerical activities?
2. In what ways does Hoover's speech reveal his politics? |
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| Historical Context
Prevailing wage laws had precedent on the state level in the United States prior to the Great Depression, but it wasn’t until that time that law makers adapted them on a national scale. With nearly 25% of the population unemployed, the Republican Congress was driven to pass the bill introduced by James Davis (Sen. Pennsylvania) and Robert Bacon (Sen. New York). Bacon introduced the bill to Congress after an Alabama contracting firm was hired to complete a project in his jurisdiction for substantially less than the local bids. The bill was designed by Congress in 1931 to reserve federal works projects for local workers.The Davis-Bacon Act addresses contracts made with the government, requiring the government to pay a prevailing wage on all federal public works projects. Employers were deterred from hiring out of state contractors who were willing to work for less than the average wages earned in the area in which the project was completed.
Attached Document
Included here is the text of the Davis-Bacon Act of 1931.
Questions to consider
1. What do you think the bill was designed to prevent?
2. What do you think the result in local economies was as a result of the passage of the Davis-Bacon Act? |
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| Historical Context
Following the stock market crash, President Hoover announced he would maintained a balanced budget while cutting taxes and increasing public works spending. In 1931, he introduced an initiative to Congress designed to help businesses, increase support for farmers, expand public works. Hoover’s political opposition depicted him as unsympathetic to the nation in distress. The president became the scapegoat for the Depression and, as a result, was trounced in the 1932 election.Attached Document
In a speech at Madison Square Garden during the campaign, Hoover responded to FDR's New Deal saying it would "destroy the very foundations of our government and crack the timbers of the Constitution." Following the address is a New York Times article covering Hoover's speech at Madison Square Garden. Questions to consider
1. How does Hoover use fear in an attempt to discredit FDR's New Deal plan? |
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| Historical Context
Following his reelection as governor of New York in 1930, Roosevelt began to campaign for the presidency. While the economic depression damaged Hoover and the Republicans, Roosevelt's bold efforts to combat it in New York enhanced his reputation. In Chicago in 1932, Roosevelt won the nomination as the Democratic Party candidate for president. He broke with tradition and flew to Chicago to accept the nomination in person. He then campaigned energetically calling for government intervention in the economy to provide relief, recovery, and reform. His activist approach and personal charm helped to defeat Hoover in November 1932 by seven million votes.Attached Documents
The First Inaugural Address by FDR outlines his plans for initiating economic recovery through the involvement of the federal government. The audio (18:48) and includes his famous line, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," which is spoken in the first minute of the address. Questions to consider
1. What is FDR's main concern?
2. Describe the tone of the speech. How is FDR appealing to the people? |
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| Historical Context
President Roosevelt began to use Fireside Chats during his Governorship. Due to the opposition he met in the conservative legislature, Roosevelt found it useful to address the citizens of New York directly, petitioning his constituency directly for support of his policies. When he became President, he used the same method of communication in 1933 during the Great Depression.
Attached Documents
In his first "fireside chat," Roosevelt discusses this crisis in simple language, knowing that the complexity of the issue might confuse ordinary citizens. The audio clip runs 13:08 and the text of the chat also follows below. As the both the audio clip and the text illustrate, Roosevelt is careful to express to the nation his sense of concern and responsibility. A photograph of the President presenting his chat is included. Questions to consider
1. How does FDR's demeanor in his "fireside chat" differ from previous presidential addresses to the nation?
2. Discuss the effectiveness was FDR's methods. |
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| Historical Context
John Maynard Keynes is doubtlessly one the most important figures in the entire history of economics. He revolutionized economics with his classic book, The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money (1936). This is generally regarded as probably the most influential social science treatise of the 20th Century, in that it quickly and permanently changed the way the world looked at the economy and the role of government in society.
Throughout the 1920s, Keynes remained active in public policy debates, channeled mainly through his numerous articles in the Nation and Atheneum, a Liberal-Labour weekly magazine which he helped purchase in 1923.
Keynes sought to develop an theory that could explain the determination of aggregate output - and as a consequence, employment. He posited that the determining factor to be aggregate demand. Attached Document
The following document includes an edited version of an open letter written by the influential economist John Maynard Keynes in response to the New York Times' request for his views on the New Deal. In the letter, Keynes offers his overall support for Roosevelt's policies. A photograph of the economist is also included. Questions to consider
1. Is the support of Keynes significant for the success of the New Deal Programs? Why or why not? |
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| Historical Context
During his three brief years in the U.S. Senate, Huey Long became one of the most flamboyant and provocative Senators in the nation's history. Initially a Roosevelt supporter, Long eventually turned on FDR and promoted his own version of populist socialism that gained a large number of supporters.
Attached Documents
Long's "Share the Wealth" speeches delivered during 1934 and 1935, makes the argument that the nation was in a mess under the New Deal and that he had the solution. Included as attachments are an edited version of a "Share the Wealth" speech beofre the Senate and a short 3 minute audio excerpt in which Long clearly outlines his goals for wealth redistribution.
Questions to consider
1) Why was Huey Long not successful in his endeavor to discredit FDR?
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| Historical Context
In response to the underemployment created by the Great Depression legislators initiated a bill in Congress to address wages and contracts. In response to the rising popularity of bid brokering, the buying of items and reselling them to the federal government without adding value, the Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act was passed in 1936.Attached Document
The Act is designed to protect the employees of government contractors. It established overtime hours, set the minimum wage equal to the prevailing wage, set child and convict labor standards, and job safety models. Questions to consider
1. What effect do you think this act had on labor standards in local economies?
2. Do you think the Walsh-Healey Act positively affected the job market for contractors? |
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